


A Day at the Mall

by GokuGirl



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Humor, Out of Character, Parody
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-09-16
Updated: 2002-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-10 18:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4403294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GokuGirl/pseuds/GokuGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Special circumstances bring seven Saiya-jin to the mall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This should remind you of two things: a movie and a television episode. See if you can guess which ones they are. Everyone who has a section in this fanfic are ordered by age. I've also broken this up into eight small parts because it's a little lengthy all together.
> 
>  **Ages:** Bra's 16, Pan's 14, Trunks' 28, Goten's 27.

**Vegeta's** **Morning**

"DAMN IT!" Bulma yelled in a voice that echoed throughout the entire residential section of the Capsule Corporation. There was a brief silence, one that lasted long enough for Bra and Trunks to begin to slide back into slumber. Their mother's voice broke it again. "VEGETA!"

The bedroom door opened and Vegeta peeked inside. He didn't like her tone of voice and would rather test the waters before jumping in with both feet.

"What did I do wrong, this time?" he asked, not really sure if he cared enough to know. Sometimes he half expected breathing to become a sin in Bulma's eyes.

She turned from the dressing table, frown on her face. "*You* didn't do anything. The clasp on my favorite necklace just broke. It's my good luck charm." Bulma groaned. "Why did this have to happen the day I have a business dinner with Fujitaka-san from Fujitaka Corp.?!"

He frowned, not understanding why she was so upset. "It's just a necklace, Onna. You probably have several hundred more."

"You don't get it!" She wailed. "My kaasan gave this to me on my eighteenth birthday and I always wear it on very important days! It's my good luck charm!"

Even though he was beginning to figure out its importance, he still didn't know why she couldn't wear something else. Accessories, or even clothing, didn't make a person who they were. Talent and personality did.

Bulma looked at her mate and could feel herself pouting, though she was helpless to stop it. If only Vegeta could be convinced that taking her necklace to be repaired while she sat in business meetings all day was in his best interests.

"Oh Vegeta..." Eye lashes batted and eyes began to fill with tears. Vegeta felt his resolve crumbling just like it did when Bra used the puppy dog look. So he did the only thing he could think of.

He ran.

"Vegeta! Come back here!" Bulma took off after him in the weak hope that she would be able to catch him. Cornering him in the kitchen, she eventually got her way.

***

' _Where there's a sale going on at the mall, ningen are almost terrifying._ '

Vegeta was making his way carefully over to Ashida's Jewelry World on the second level. Ningen children ran free while their parents picked through the summer leavings. After nearly stepping on three small kids, he decided to levitate to the store above.

"Look at him, Mommy! He's fwying!" Only he forgot one small thing: bukujutsu shocked normal ningen.

' _Uh..._ ' he landed and looked around briefly. ' _How do I get the ningen to settle?_ ' "Everyone calm down!" He held up his hands. "It's all done with wire and mirrors!" Wincing, he was inwardly disgusted with himself for using the words of Satan. Eventually the crowd dispersed and he was free to go inside the store.

"Sir?" the mustached man behind the counter asked a little nervously. Vegeta was scaring him and he didn't know why. "Can I help you?"

"Hai," he walked closer with an unreadable expression on his face. "Give me..."

The salesman's eyes grew huge as Vegeta reached into his jacket pocket and his hand moved toward the silent alarm button behind the counter.

"...a clasp for my mate's necklace."

A blink. "Huh?"

Vegeta placed the 24-carat, diamond encrusted chain onto the counter. "Bulma's necklace is broken."

"Oh!" He picked it up and examined it. "Hai, hai. It is. Due to the fact that several people are ahead of you, it will take a few hours." He took Vegeta's name and placed a tag on the necklace.

"How many is "a few"?"

The man gulped audibly, more than a little intimidated by the look on the short Saiya-jin's face. "It should be done by one this afternoon."

Vegeta nodded, happy that he wouldn't have to hide at the mall to escape Bulma's whining for very long. "Good enough."

***

' _Mall music is pure crap. Are they trying to drive everyone insane?_ '

Vegeta strolled down the mall casually, looking very out of place in his black spandex bodysuit, white boots, and gloves. He tried to entertain himself by counting all of the obese people that he saw, but there were so many he eventually lost count. One would think that walking around the mall so much would help them to loose some weight.

"Mommy, mommy!" A little girl shouted in a shrill voice while pointing in Vegeta's direction. "Look! I see the magical troll man!" She ran up to him with wide eyes. "I wanna wish!"

He blinked. "Nani?"

"You're the magical troll man so give me a wish! I want one *now*!" She kicked him in the shin. "Give me a wish!"

"If you don't stop kicking me right now..." He trailed off, trying to scare the little girl enough so that she would run away. Instead of being frightened she only kicked him again, harder this time. He reached toward her arms and they were stopped by two strong hands.

"Only *you* would terrorize small children," said a voice that he was all too familiar with. He pulled his hands away and turned to face the other person.

"Mind your own business, Kakarotto. This little gaki here wants me to grant her some damn wish." He growled at the girl and she ran off, crying. "I'm only here because the onna wanted me to do something for her."

Goku laughed. "That makes two of us, then. ChiChi wanted me to buy her some things. Company's coming over later, I guess."

"Sounds like your onna doesn't want you to know something." He snorted. "At least I'm the head of my household." Both remembered all of the times Bulma ordered Vegeta to do something, and he did it almost without question. He glared at Goku who's grin grew wider. "Don't say a word."

"Who me?" he asked innocently. "I don't know what you mean."

"Kakarotto..." He trailed off as someone with a very large ki made their presence known. "What the hell?"

Goku looked towards the roof. "It's Gohan and he seems a little emotional."

A *little* emotional?!" ' _More like homicidal._ '

The two of them vaulted over the railing that lined the second floor and searched out Gohan. "What would make him this way? I haven't felt this much energy from him since Cell."

"Hai, your kid is pretty docile overall."

At the main entrance the doors burst open, and in walked Gohan in all of his Super Saiya-jin glory.

_-End of Vegeta's Part-_


	2. Chapter 2

**Vegeta's** **Morning**

"DAMN IT!" Bulma yelled in a voice that echoed throughout the entire residential section of the Capsule Corporation. There was a brief silence, one that lasted long enough for Bra and Trunks to begin to slide back into slumber. Their mother's voice broke it again. "VEGETA!"

The bedroom door opened and Vegeta peeked inside. He didn't like her tone of voice and would rather test the waters before jumping in with both feet.

"What did I do wrong this time?" he asked, not really sure if he cared enough to know. Sometimes he half expected breathing to become a sin in Bulma's eyes.

She turned from the dressing table, frown on her face. "*You* didn't do anything. The clasp on my favorite necklace just broke. It's my good luck charm." Bulma groaned. "Why did this have to happen the day I have a business dinner with Fujitaka-san from Fujitaka Corp.?!"

He frowned, not understanding why she was so upset. "It's just a necklace, Onna. You probably have several hundred more."

"You don't get it!" She wailed. "My kaasan gave this to me on my eighteenth birthday and I always wear it on very important days! It's my good luck charm!"

Even though he was beginning to figure out its importance, he still didn't know why she couldn't wear something else. Accessories, or even clothing, didn't make a person who they were. Talent and personality did.

Bulma looked at her mate and could feel herself pouting, though she was helpless to stop it. If only Vegeta could be convinced that taking her necklace to be repaired while she sat in business meetings all day was in his best interests.

"Oh Vegeta..." Eye lashes batted and eyes began to fill with tears. Vegeta felt his resolve crumbling just like it did when Bra used the puppy dog look. So he did the only thing he could think of.

He ran.

"Vegeta! Come back here!" Bulma took off after him in the weak hope that she would be able to catch him. Cornering him in the kitchen, she eventually got her way.

***

' _Where there's a sale going on at the mall, ningen are almost terrifying._ '

Vegeta was making his way carefully over to Ashida's Jewelry World on the second level. Ningen children ran free while their parents picked through the summer leavings. After nearly stepping on three small kids, he decided to levitate to the store above.

"Look at him, Mommy! He's fwying!" Only he forgot one small thing: bukujutsu shocked normal ningen.

' _Uh..._ ' he landed and looked around briefly. ' _How do I get the ningen to settle?_ ' "Everyone calm down!" He held up his hands. "It's all done with wire and mirrors!" Wincing, he was inwardly disgusted with himself for using the words of Satan. Eventually the crowd dispersed and he was free to go inside the store.

"Sir?" the mustached man behind the counter asked a little nervously. Vegeta was scaring him and he didn't know why. "Can I help you?"

"Hai," he walked closer with an unreadable expression on his face. "Give me..."

The salesman's eyes grew huge as Vegeta reached into his jacket pocket and his hand moved toward the silent alarm button behind the counter.

"...a clasp for my mate's necklace."

A blink. "Huh?"

Vegeta placed the 24-carat, diamond encrusted chain onto the counter. "Bulma's necklace is broken."

"Oh!" He picked it up and examined it. "Hai, hai. It is. Due to the fact that several people are ahead of you, it will take a few hours." He took Vegeta's name and placed a tag on the necklace.

"How many is "a few"?"

The man gulped audibly, more than a little intimidated by the look on the short Saiya-jin's face. "It should be done by one this afternoon."

Vegeta nodded, happy that he wouldn't have to hide at the mall to escape Bulma's whining for very long. "Good enough."

***

' _Mall music is pure crap. Are they trying to drive everyone insane?_ '

Vegeta strolled down the mall casually, looking very out of place in his black spandex bodysuit, white boots, and gloves. He tried to entertain himself by counting all of the obese people that he saw, but there were so many he eventually lost count. One would think that walking around the mall so much would help them to loose some weight.

"Mommy, mommy!" A little girl shouted in a shrill voice while pointing in Vegeta's direction. "Look! I see the magical troll man!" She ran up to him with wide eyes. "I wanna wish!"

He blinked. "Nani?"

"You're the magical troll man so give me a wish! I want one *now*!" She kicked him in the shin. "Give me a wish!"

"If you don't stop kicking me right now..." He trailed off, trying to scare the little girl enough so that she would run away. Instead of being frightened she only kicked him again, harder this time. He reached toward her arms and they were stopped by two strong hands.

"Only *you* would terrorize small children," said a voice that he was all too familiar with. He pulled his hands away and turned to face the other person.

"Mind your own business, Kakarotto. This little gaki here wants me to grant her some damn wish." He growled at the girl and she ran off, crying. "I'm only here because the onna wanted me to do something for her."

Goku laughed. "That makes two of us, then. ChiChi wanted me to buy her some things. Company's coming over later, I guess."

"Sounds like your onna doesn't want you to know something." He snorted. "At least I'm the head of my household." Both remembered all of the times Bulma ordered Vegeta to do something, and he did it almost without question. He glared at Goku who's grin grew wider. "Don't say a word."

"Who me?" he asked innocently. "I don't know what you mean."

"Kakarotto..." He trailed off as someone with a very large ki made their presence known. "What the hell?"

Goku looked towards the roof. "It's Gohan and he seems a little emotional."

A *little* emotional?!" ' _More like homicidal._ '

The two of them vaulted over the railing that lined the second floor and searched out Gohan. "What would make him this way? I haven't felt this much energy from him since Cell."

"Hai, your kid is pretty docile overall."

At the main entrance the doors burst open, and in walked Gohan in all of his Super Saiya-jin glory.

_-End of Vegeta's Part-_


	3. Chapter 3

**Gohan's** **Morning**

"I have to go, I'm late for work!" He kissed Videl goodbye in the kitchen and Pan as he passed the stairs. "Be good," he told his daughter.

"Tousan, I'm fourteen not four." He just gave her a look that made her sigh. "Fine. I'll be good."

Traffic was brutal at nine-fifteen a.m., so bad that he thought there had been an accident at first. Based on the fact that he was already behind schedule, he decided to use this time to get some work done.

"Shipping, Yokono speaking."

Gohan frowned at the static through the line and turned up the volume on his cell phone so that he could hear better. "Yoko, this is Gohan. I need those mainframes for Fujitaka Corp. shipped A.S.A.P!"

"Right away, Son-san!" Gohan could almost picture him saluting. "I promise they won't get shipped to Spain this time."

He winced as he remembered the incident. It had been a few years ago, right after he had gotten promoted to Director of Sales. A company in Tokyo ordered several hundred complete computer systems for its employees and the entire shipment ended up at a department store in Madrid. It took thirty minutes to clear the mistake up, twenty of which that had been spent searching for someone fluent in Spanish, and Yoko was embarrassed beyond belief.

"I know that they won't. The entire tenth floor glared at you for an entire week." They said their goodbyes and he disconnected the call just as traffic began to move again.

His office was all mirrored glass and gleaming steel, with highly polished marble tile gracing the lobby. He went over to the double set of golden elevators whose cars rose and fell within transparent glass tubes. When Gohan first began working there, watching the people become smaller and smaller had given him a case of vertigo each time he rode up to his floor.

He heard the ringing of the phone before he had even entered his office. "Hold on! I'm coming!" He dropped his briefcase on the desk and hit the speaker button. "Integrated Technology Systems Inc. sales department, Son Gohan speaking. How may I help you today?"

"Um, Gohan-sa?" a hesitant voice he eventually was able to identify as Videl, spoke. His stomach immediately knotted in worry. Videl never called him at work and he had never heard her sound so strange.

"Is something wrong? Is it you? Is it Pan?!" His voice took on a panicked tone.

She cleared her throat. "Hai and iie. Look, I need a pregnancy test. I'm so tied up at work that I can't get away to make the trip to the store."

There was a light knock at the door and he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Hold on a second, sweetheart." To the unknown visitor he shouted, "Come in!" As the door opened, what his wife said suddenly made sense in his brain. "You need WHAT?!"

"Good morning, niichan. You have mail!" Goten chuckled as he laid one of the smaller boxes onto his brother's desk. "I've always wanted to say that."

Gohan didn't even notice him. "You need a pregnancy test? Are you going to have a baby, Videl?"

"Uh, iie. You see, this is where it becomes a little sticky..."

"Please just tell me, honey. I can deal with whatever it is."

"You have to promise not to get angry."

He sighed, knowing that it was something bad. "Okay, I promise."

There was a brief pause. "Pan asked for it."

Two mouths dropped open and two sets of eyes stared at the phone. "Holy shit!" Goten gasped.

Gohan's reaction was just a little bit different. He jumped up from his chair and all the color drained from his face. "I'm going to kill her!"

"Gohan, calm down!" This was spoken by both his brother and his wife. His ki was rising sharply and he was just shy of transforming into a Super Saiya-jin. Gohan took several deep breaths and slowly sat back down in his chair.

"When did she ask you?" he questioned in a lower tone of voice. Goten had planted himself in the visitor's chair on the other side of the desk. He had no intention on going anywhere.

"Around 9:35. I waited a while to call you because I knew that traffic was horrible this morning."

"Is she still at home?"

Videl snorted. "She left five minutes after you did and called me from the mall. If Pan had stayed home then you would have found her very easily. Promise me something else, okay Gohan-sa?"

He was starting to hate her promises. "What is it?"

"Please, for the love of Kami, don't murder our child."

***

Goten and Gohan took off for the mall at top speed. The entire time was spent trying to calm the elder Son child down. "Look, niichan, she consented to whatever happened. You know that no ningen can force Pan to do anything she doesn't want to do."

"She's only fourteen years old!" He shouted. "Pan's still a damn kid herself!"

"Kaasan was only a little older than she was, you know."

"Kaasan was married." He landed on the ground and transformed before Goten could even open his mouth again. Gohan stalked up to the entrance and went through the door, nearly ripping it from the frame. ' _I can not believe she would complicate her life like this! How can she go to school with a baby to take care of?_ '

He could sense several strong kis in the immediate area. There was Pan, of course, but close by her he sensed Bra as well. ' _That could complicate things._ ' Two other kis that were each stronger than the two girls' combined were also in the mall. ' _Vegeta-san and tousan are here, too. They might try to stop me._ '

"Gohan!" Goku shouted as he spotted him. The energy he emitted caused the air molecules to move frantically and a fierce wind picked up as a result of it. Ningen looked at him with expressions of fear and fascination, most choosing to get out of his way as fast as they could. Goku and Vegeta landed before him as he began to take steps forward. "What's wrong, son? Why are you so angry?"

Gohan merely ground his teeth together and searched for the ki of his daughter.

"Tousan! He's after Pan because there's reason to believe that's she's pregnant!" Goten ran up and grabbed his brother's arm. "Please, just calm down and try to think rationally about this."

"Despite everything that Videl and I have tried to teach her, she goes out and does something *this* stupid!" He yanked his arm away. "Let me go." What little energy he was able to pick up from her suddenly faded into nothing. "She knows that I'm here."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Everyone who's the least bit sensitive in a three mile radius knows that you're here. I wouldn't be freaking out about something like this. If Bra was going to have a kid, I wouldn't be this emotional about it."

He didn't respond. Flying off, he searched and wondered. How did his day get so bad so quickly?

_-End of Gohan's Part-_


	4. Chapter 4

** Trunks' Morning **

_"Darlin'_  
_Just for me matte 'ru wa_  
_Kokoro ni zoku-zoku agetai_  
_Anata no yubisaki ga izanau romansu_  
_Unmei-goto kitto fallin' love"_

Trunks sang at the top of his lungs as he showered. It wasn't a type of song that he would usually sing, but Bra had been watching television two days ago and it had been stuck inside of his head ever since. Unfortunately he was the type of person who had a good memory so the words were actually there and not reduced to humming.

As he got dressed he sang and he reached the final words just as he reached the downstairs hallway. "Unmei-goto kitto fallin' love."

He poured himself a large bowl of Frosted Flakes and found himself humming the song as he ate. "Damn Bra and her stupid TV. shows," he muttered to himself between verses.

Bra came in as he was half-way through his third bowl and her inane phone conversation made him roll his eyes. "You are impossibly shallow. Did you know that?" She only stuck out her tongue and, after exchanging a few more words, Trunks was off to work.

_"Tonight mitsumete hajimete tsuketa kuchibeni_  
_Demo anata wa sotto koi wo sorasu no_  
_Ima taisetsu ni omotte kureru no nara_  
_Dakishimete hoshii"_

"I have to stop singing that song!" He groaned and searched for something on the radio as he waited for cars to begin moving again. Trunks saw a familiar car pass by him and he blew his horn only to cause a chain reaction among the other cars. "Gohan! Hey!" He tried to get his attention, but the elder man was on his cell phone. Giving up at amusing himself for a little while by talking to a friend, Trunks resumed his search for a good radio station.

_I just feel rhythm emotion_  
_Kono mune no kodou wa_  
_Anata e to tsuzuite'ru so far away_

"Oh no!" he wailed. "Not this song!" It was another that tended to get stuck inside of his head.

_"Mou kisutsuite mo ii_  
_Hitomi wo sorasazu ni_  
_Atsuku hageshiku ikite itai_

_"Akiramenai tsuyosa wo_  
_Kureru anata dakara dakishimetai"_

Trunks found himself launching into the second chorus automatically and he sang songs on the entire ride to work.

"Moshi moshi," he answered. His cell phone had rang in the middle of "Hitoshii Romansu".

"Ohayo, niichan!" Bra said brightly. "I have a proposition for you."

"I don't like the sound of that," he frowned. "Go on."

"Benjiro's otousan needs people for his game show. It's called BFF, which stands for best friends forever, and it's all about how well you know your best-friend. Pan and I are going on the show and I need to know if you and Goten will too."

"Well, did you ask him?"

"He said to count him in because he knew you would say hai."

He glanced at the upcoming building. "When do I have to be there?"

"It's almost ten now so around eleven. The show doesn't start until noon."

Trunks made his decision and changed lanes. "I'll be there in a few. A guy has to look good for the cameras, you know."

"You're gonna skip work again! You are soooo irresponsible, niichan."

"If you had the weight of the world on your shoulders, you would be too."

***

Trunks was a few blocks away from the mall when he sensed something that made the hair on his arms raise up. Frowning in concentration, he soon figured out that it was Gohan who was emitting all of that energy. "Why is he so pissed? There's nothing I know of that could make him feel that way."

He found a parking space after circling the lot by the main doors several times, and entered the mall just in time to feel Gohan power up to level two. Trunks was starting to become more than a little worried. It wasn't often that he felt Gohan's ki at such a level. He followed it and the trail of nervous ningen to the second level where a confrontation was just ending.

"What in the world is going on here?" he asked, noting the relieved look on Pan's face. "Or should I say: what in the world *happened* here?"

"Tousan thought that I was pregnant and he got pissed. He tried to kill Takeji who, by the way, *isn't* my boyfriend, but Goku-ojiichan stopped him. I told him what happened and now Vegeta-ojisan is after Bra's boyfriend."

"My little sister is going to have a baby?!" Trunks was shocked. "Wow. I hope papa doesn't kill Benjiro."

"That's the thing," Goku said, "He's headed off to find him so he can do just that."

Trunks groaned. "Papa would kill a crippled man for looking at him funny. Let's go."

_-End of Trunks' Part-_

  
I have a challenge for the readers: Can anyone identify where the two song came from? I'll give you a few hints: they're from two different animes and only one of them comes on television.


	5. Chapter 5

** Goten's Morning **

Goten wondered, for the tenth time, if his Kaasan would allow him to move back into their house in East District. Living on his own sucked big time. His little job as a delivery boy barely paid rent so he had to take a night job as a bartender. At least at the bar he sometimes met interesting people.

Goten ate breakfast as he looked over his bills. "Do I have enough left over to pay the cable bill?" After doing a quick calculation, he grinned ."I do! Sugoi!"

The phone rang, interrupting his mini celebration. He picked it up and sighed as he recognized the number on his Caller-ID. "Moshi moshi."

"Son, get your ass over here! I have a delivery for ya!"

"Hai, sir. Right away."

He got the stupid looking blue hat from the coffee table and placed it onto his head. After retrieving his keys from their peg by the door, he was off.

Goten's parking space was as far away from his apartment as possible and still be on the same lot. His junk heap, that was aptly named Rust-bucket, should have been crushed into a compact cube a long time ago. It was leaking oil all over his space and he prayed that it would run again. He unlocked the door and was about to climb inside when he noticed writing on the hood in black marker.

"Please kill me now." He frowned and raised his voice. "When I find out who did this, you're going to be beaten within an inch of your life!" Satisfied with his threat, he turned the key in the ignition and, after three tries, the engine started.

The radio blared to life and he winced. The last person to touch his radio had been Bra. Teenybopper music poured forth at an alarming volume that he felt could break crystal. At a stop light he paused to change the station and the tuner knob came off instead.

"SHIT!" He hit the power button instead and drove off with only the sounds of the street, and the complaining grumble of Rustbucket, to break the silence.

The Japanese Delivery Service, or JDS, building was made of red brick that had definitely seen better days. In the small parking lot behind it sat three dingy white trucks that sported the JDS logo. Goten parked his car next to the truck he would be using and cursed as his car sputtered and died.

"Just great!" He shouted as he realized that it wouldn't be starting up again anytime soon. "Just freakin' great!"

His bosses' small office was as hot and stench-filled as usual. What possessed corporate to cram such a large man into a tiny little area? Was it someone's idea of a joke? Whatever the reason, Goten was suffering from it just the same.

"You wanted me, sir?"

Antoine Mancini was bald, bloated, and as bigoted as they came. He strongly dislike Japanese people (yet he still moved to a country filled with them) and had never spared Goten a kind word. Now, he leaned forward in his desk chair, causing it to creak alarmingly, and studied Goten for a moment.

"Son, I have an important assignment for you."

Goten perked up. Was the words he was hearing true? Did Mancini really think that he was good enough at his job for an "important assignment"? He had to hear the reason come from his boss' own mouth. "May I ask why you chose me for this, sir?"

"You're the lesser of several evils."

He blinked. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Must I go slower for the Jap?" he frowned. "Simply put, you're not as bad as the rest of my delivery boys." Goten's slack-jawed stare was quickly turning into unconcealed anger. "What? You thought it was because I considered you a good worker?"

"Iie, sir." This was forced out between clenched teeth. ' _I will not hit him. I will not hit him._ '

Mancini pushed a sheet of paper across the table at him. "All of the information you need is here. Now go away until I call you again."

Goten left his office angry beyond belief but stopped himself before he slammed the door. "Stupid jackass. I hope you burn in Hell."

At Loading Dock B he retrieved his packages. Most of boxes were about five feet square and weighed so much that he grunted slightly when lifting them. After straightening his cap, he climbed into the truck's cab and started the engine.

"This is how an engine is supposed to sound," he said as he listened to the low hum. He changed the radio station to one that played only the top rock and roll hits and started on his way across town.

***

Goten hurried to catch up to his very enraged older brother. "Oh damn, he's gonna do something that he'll regret later and I can't do anything to stop him."

He could sort of understand where he was coming from. Pan was a very bright girl who usually made wise decisions that took a lot of thought. Why would she suddenly abandon all good sense and go get herself pregnant at fourteen?

"It just doesn't make much sense," he muttered to himself as he started at the glass doors. "I didn't even know that Pan had a boyfriend!"

The confrontation between his brother and the two elder Saiya-jin frustrated him. He grabbed Gohan's arm in a vain attempt to stop the madness. "Please, just calm down and try to think rationally about this." Of course it didn't work and the three of them ended up joining him on his search.

"At least Pan's intelligent enough to hide herself from him," Vegeta commented. "In his mental state there isn't much he won't do."

Goku glared at him. "I don't care how pissed off he is, Gohan would never kill her."

"I never said that he would. You know that there are many other ways to hurt someone without actually killing them, Kakarotto. Your son isn't exactly stable right now."

"If Bra stayed with her, we can just track *her* down. She isn't that good at masking her ki yet." Goten concentrated and sensed a small power over near the food court. "That might be Bra." He flew up to the second level with the two full Saiya-jin following him.

_-End of Goten's Part-_


	6. Chapter 6

**Bra's** **Morning**

"So I said nu uh and she said uh huh. I was like, are you kidding me? She just laughed." Bra shifted the phone to her other ear and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the kitchen table. "She's going out with him this weekend. I bet he doesn't show up." She took a bite and her nose wrinkled at her friend Kimi's response. "I am *not* being mean! That boy is a first class player. Do you know how many other girls he dates? Well, I do. Ami isn't the cutest girl in school nor the sluttiest so Taite isn't going to be with her very long. That's the way it works."

Trunks rolled his eyes as he placed his cereal bowl into the sink. "You are impossibly shallow. Did you know that?"

She stuck out her tongue and turned her back. "That was only Trunks, nobody important." She covered up the mouthpiece. "When are you going to move out? Goten's got his own place and he makes a sixth of what you do, if that. You're twenty-eight for Kami's sake!"

"Mind your own business, Bra," he said as he grabbed his briefcase. "Stick to your goofy teenage soap operas."

"Kimi, he's pathetic. Really, he is."

Her conversation lasted another twenty minutes and would have been longer if  call waiting hadn't interfered. She told Kimi that she would talk to her later and ended the call.

"Moshi moshi."

"Hey, Bra-chan. Are you free later today?"

She recognized that voice anywhere. It was her boyfriend, Benjiro. They'd been together for a year and most people said that they made the perfect couple. "I'm always free for you." Bra felt the goofy grin come over her face and was powerless to stop it. "What do you need me for?"

"Tousan has this new game show that's going to debut at the mall later today, but he didn't get enough contestants. I was wondering if you knew some best-friends that would like to be on television."

"Pan and I can do it!" she said excitedly. "I'll be down there later once I get her, okay? Thanks for telling me about it. Ai shiteru, Ben-chan. Ja."

"Ja."

Pan's phone number was programmed into the speed dial and it rang several times before it was answered.

"Moshi moshi," Pan answered with a yawn.

Bra's voice was a high-pitched squeal. "Guess what! Guess what!"

"If I say 'what' will you lower your voice?" She massaged her temples, trying to ward off a headache. After a moment, she went on to ask, "What?"

"There's this game show at the mall that Ben-chan told me about! We can get on TV., Panny-chan! It's all about best-friends."

Pan yawned again. "Can you give me a little while? I haven't finished breakfast yet."

"Okay, but you better be there before eleven! We have to go buy matching outfits before the show!"

The younger girl was a little wary about that. Their styles differed so much that it would be very difficult to agree on something. Pan mentally prepared herself for a long, arduous shopping trip.

Bra wrinkled her nose at the extended period of silence. "I know what you're thinking, Pan-chan. I promise I won't make you wear a skirt, a dress, or anything girly like that."

"Okay, good. I'll see you there."

***

"How about this, Pan?" Bra held up a pair of hot pants and a tube top. Pan's eyebrow's rose and she shook her head.

"My tousan would kill me and you know it!"

Bra sighed and waved her hand at the racks of clothes. "Why don't you find something, now? You've said no to everything I've picked out."

She hunted through several racks before pulling out a pair of black capri pants and a pale yellow tank top. "This is doable."

"Hmm," Bra studied the shirt from all angles. "Find a better design for the top and we have a deal."

"What's wrong with it? There's nothing even on the shirt!"

"Exactly!" Bra searched through the racks of shirts and found blue ones with starbursts done in beads. She held it up to Pan and pursed her lips. "It would look nice on you."

"Fine, let's just get the outfits and go."

Bra took them both to the cash register and pulled out her Capsule Corp. credit card. "Put your money away, Pan-chan. I'll buy."

"I can't let you do that in good conscience. At least let me pay you back." Bra handed over the receipt with a smirk and Pan's eyes widened. "Um, nevermind. I can just consider this a very early birthday present."

As they were walking to the shoe store, both girls suddenly frowned and looked skyward. "Who's power is that? Don't tell me some other evil nasty is coming here to kill us again."

"Iie..." Pan paled. "Um, I need to be going now."

"What's wrong, Pan-chan?" Then she concentrated and knew. "Is that your tousan?! At least he hasn't gone to level two, yet."

"That's not the point and you know it! This is all your fault!" She pointed. "Look, I can't stay with you because you can't hide your ki. If noon comes and I'm still not there, promise me you'll mourn my death."

Bra blinked as she took off running in the opposite direction. "Wait a minute! We still have to go to the shoe store!"

_-End of Bra's Part-_


	7. Chapter 7

** Pan's Morning **

Pan rolled over, fully intent on going back to sleep, when a flurry of activity from the hallway grabbed her attention.

"I'm going to be late!" her father moaned as he went down the hall. A door shut and soon the sound of the shower running could be heard through the wall. She waited a few minutes after the water ceased and smothered her laughter as she cracked open the door to the bathroom. Gohan was trying to shave and brush his teeth at the same time, but it wasn't quite working out.

"Tousan, you're going to hurt yourself." She grinned at him.

He use the mouthwash in the medicine cabinet and spit it out. "When you have to be out on your own, you will understand."

"I understand now, Tousan. Somebody just didn't wake up on time." She ducked the towel he threw at her and decided to get dressed. Besides wanting to spar later, she might succeed in convincing Bra to see the new action flick with her. Her friend  tended to lean more towards sappy romances.

Gohan kissed Pan goodbye as he passed the stairs. "Be good," he told her.  
  
"Tousan, I'm fourteen not four." He just gave her a look that made her sigh. "Fine. I'll be good."

Just as she was sitting down at the kitchen table to join her mother for breakfast, the phone rang. She stuffed a piece of bacon into her mouth and answered it. "Moshi moshi."

"Guess what! Guess what!"

"If I say 'what' will you lower your voice?" She waited a moment to see if Bra was going to speak again. "What?"

Pan found out about a game show that the father of Bra's boyfriend was going to host at the mall that day. All she had to do to qualify was to have a best-friend. Her eyes widened when Bra grew very excited about buying new clothes for the television cameras. Her friend's sense of style was slutty at best. Even if Pan wanted to dress that way, her parents would kill her to keep her from leaving the house in an outfit like that.

"I know what you're thinking, Pan-chan. I promise I won't make you wear a skirt, a dress, or anything girly like that."

She released the breath that she was holding. "Okay, good. I'll see you there."

Pan consumed the rest of the food on her plate, kissed her mother goodbye, and went back to her room to retrieve some money. She hadn't saved a whole lot but it was enough to buy a new shirt and a pair of pants as long as they weren't too expensive.

"I'm going to meet Bra-chan at the mall, Kaasan! See you later!" She waited for a response then took to the air. When she was about three, a few days after she'd just learned how to fly, she wanted to go visit Bra. Instead of waiting for an adult to take her over to the Capsule Corp., she decided to fly there herself and the act caused many of the older neighbors on the block to faint from disbelief. That taught her that most people found bukujutsu to be highly unusual, and it would be best if she only did it when people weren't around to notice.

Pan really didn't like to spend too much time at the mall; she went in, purchased what she wanted, and left as soon as possible. Unfortunately, when she gave in to Bra's requests, she found herself there for hours at a time.

"This is going to be sooooo great!" Bra grabbed her arm the moment she cleared the entrance doors and dragged her over to the pay phones. "How can you have a game show without contestants, though? It doesn't make much sense to me."

Pan laughed. "You can't Bra. It wouldn't be a game show, then. It would just be a guy on stage looking stupid." She put in some change and dialed Goten's cell phone number.

"Moshi moshi."

"Hey Goten-ojichan, do you want to be on TV.?"

"Now why would I want to go and do that?" She could hear the humor in his voice. "What do I have to do for you?"

"Absolutely nothing. Benjiro's father has a show today and he needs contestants. Since you and Trunks are supposed to be best-friends, you two need to come down here to the mall."

"Did you ask Trunks?"

"Iie. You're the first we've called."

She heard the sound of an engine cut off and then the slam of a car door. "He'll say hai. Trust me."

"Be here before noon, okay? The show starts then." They said their goodbyes and then the two girls began their mission to find an outfit they both could agree on.

***

' _Damn, damn, DAMN!_ ' Pan cursed mentally as she looked for a good place to hide. Even though she was pretty sure her father couldn't sense her, she couldn't risk him *seeing* her, either. She felt Bra go off in the direction of the food court, barely even bothering to hide her ki, and knew that he would be drawn to her. Everyone knew that she had come to the mall with Bra, she was a good diversion.

"Kaasan must have told him. I can't believe she did that to me!" She ducked into the nearest store she could find and was startled almost immediately. "Why in the world did I have to pick 'Hot Topic'?"

"Hi Pan," said a boy that she only vaguely remembered from school. He raised an eyebrow at her and grinned. "You look lost."

"You could say that I am, Takeji," she responded. The two of them left the store, Pan's eyes flickering back and forth.

"Is someone hunting you or something?"

"You could say that." Her entire body stiffened up and her eyes widened. "Oh shit."

"Son Pan!" She heard his voice but was hoping that if she didn't turn around, he wouldn't really be there. So, the decision was made for her with Gohan spun her around himself. "What in Kami's name possessed you to do something so stupid?!"

She gulped in fear. "It's not what you think! Really, it's not!"

"You're pregnant, young lady! How can I misunderstand *that*?"

"Pan, you're *pregnant*?" Takeji asked and it would have been better if he'd remained silent. Gohan's eyes slid over to him and he powered up to the next level of Super Saiya-jin.

"You!" he hissed. His hands reached for the boy and Pan tried to stop them from wrapping around his neck. It was a admirable try but she just wasn't strong enough.

"Tousan, stop!" She frantically looked for someone to help her and spotted her grandfather. "Goku-ojiichan! You have to stop him from killing Takeji!"

Goku halted his hands, forced to transform to Super Saiya-jin level three to do so. "Run while you have the chance," he told the frozen boy. "If he goes Mystic then not even I can stop him from killing you."

"WILL YOU JUST STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Pan shouted at her father. "I'm not even pregnant, Tousan! That test wasn't for me!"

He turned toward her. "What are you talking about?"

"This morning when I met Bra-chan here, she asked me for a favor..."

Vegeta's eyes widened. "NANI?!"

"Yeah. It's Bra who thinks that she's pregnant, not me."

"I won't freak out, I won't freak out, I won't freak out..." He felt the changes begin and just gave up. "Screw not freaking out! I'm going to KILL that Benjiro!"

Goten smirked. "I thought you said that you weren't going to be emotional."

Vegeta glared at him. "So I lied, okay? Sue me!" He took off toward Bra's ki and Trunks walked up to them before they could follow.

"What in the world is going on here?" he asked in concern. The situation was explained to him and he grew worried.

"Let's go."

Bra had, unfortunately, moved away from the food court to the center court where they were setting up the game show. Vegeta found her talking to Benjiro about something and he saw red. The rest of the Saiya-jin decided to just stand by and observe. It was something Vegeta, Bra, and Benjiro would have to work out for themselves.

"Get away from her!" he screamed as he ran over to the two of them. "You've done enough damage!"

Bra groaned long and loud. "Pan told you, didn't she? Look, I got myself into this and I can take care of it myself." One hard look made her immediately stop talking.

"Do you intend to be a man and marry my daughter?" Vegeta asked with severity. "I hope not because I really don't like you. Not because you're ningen, but because of your personality and character. When Bra first started dating you, I didn't like you. Now, a year later, you've done nothing to change my opinion. Bra will be a lot better off without you."

Bra was amazed. Her father was actually speaking rationally instead of immediately going in for the kill. "Papa, please. Can I explain something?" He grunted and she took that as an assent. "I love Benjiro and I'm sorry that you dislike him. Sixteen is a pretty young age to have children, but it was consensual. I just ask that you not tell kaasan because she's probably going to slap me."

"Uh, Bra-chan?" Pan began hesitantly. Three sets of eyes turned her way and she figured that they had forgotten that there was an audience. "When you start showing she's going to find out anyway."

"I know but since I'll be pregnant, she probably won't hit me."

Trunks shook his head. "You really don't know kaasan, do you?"

Vegeta faded out of Super Saiya-jin after realizing that there was absolutely nothing he could do at the moment. If he killed Benjiro then his little girl was going to hate him for the rest of her life. "If you hurt her in any way, there won't be any place on Chikyuu that can hide you."

Benjiro nodded, knowing his words for truth. "I will never hurt her."

"See that you don't." Vegeta left them, headed directly for the Cinnabon place. He needed a little cheering up.

_-End of Pan's Part-_


	8. Chapter 8

** Everyone's Afternoon **

Shoes were finally decided upon and the two girls had to take ten minutes to get dressed in the women's restroom before the show was to begin. The single group that Benjiro had managed to secure had cancelled and now there was another empty spot on the show.

"It's falling apart on Yamashira-san," Bra told Pan. "The show begins in seven minutes and he needs more contestants."

Pan frowned in thought. "Do you think Goku-ojiichan is still here?"

"Why?"

"Because Krillin-san is," she smiled. She ran over to where he stood beside Juuhachi-gou at the back of the crowd and asked if he would participate on the show. After his nod of assent, she smiled and brought him over to Ben's father.

"I think you'll have enough people now," she said. "I'll go find ojiichan and meet you back here in a few minutes."

Goku was consuming mass quantities of food at a Mexican restaurant on the first level, but Pan convinced him that the game show was more important. After helping him to finish off a plate of burritos and waiting for the check to be paid, they made it back to the center court with only thirty seconds to spare.

Mini microphones were clipped onto shirts and then they were all taking places on the stage. Bra and Pan sat on one side, Goku and Krillin on the other, and Trunks and Goten occupied the middle. The two demi-Saiya-jin were wearing black jeans and deep blue silk shirts.

"If I'd know that I was supposed to match my best-friend, I would have worn my gi," Krillin said with a grin.

Goku grinned back. "That's just something they wanted to do. We got talked into doing this at the last minute anyway."

The music started up and a neatly dressed man with a goatee stepped out from stage left. He smiled winningly and stopped center stage. "Konnichi-wa everyone and welcome to the very first show of BFF! Which stands for..."

The audience, being the good little participants that they were (and being able to read cue cards), shouted, "Best-Friends Forever!"

"I'm your host, Yamashira Shinji, and our contestants today are..." He nodded at the people sitting behind him.

"Bra Briefs."

"Son Pan."

"Son Goten."

"Trunks Briefs."

"Krillin."

"Son Goku."

"Here's how the game works," Yamashira said after all the introductions were complete. "I'll ask each player a question and the object is to come up with as many right answers as you can. Ready?" He received nods. Bra Briefs, what is your friend's favorite color?"

Bra didn't hesitate. "Orange." Pan grinned.

"Orange is correct! Group one receives one-hundred points!" The crowd cheered in response. "Okay, group two. Same question."

Goten sat there, a stumped look on his face. "Um, uh..." While he thought, Trunks started humming the Jeopardy final question music.

Yamashira tapped his watch. "You have only five seconds remaining."

"Lavender!" he blurted.

Trunks stared at him in disbelief. "Where the hell did that come from?!"

"You are incorrect! The correct answer is..."

"Blue, you baka!" Trunks exclaimed as he punched Goten in the shoulder. The younger man glared at him and then they both turned away.

"Group three?"

Krillin smirked. "That's a very easy question, Shinji. I say that Goku's favorite color is also orange."

He received a smirk back. "I will have to tell you, then, that you're incorrect. Goku, what is your *actual* favorite color?"

"I don't have one. I love all colors equally."

"NANI? What kind of answer is that?" Krillin glared at Goku for a moment but, after realizing that he couldn't hold it for long, he turned his eyes to the host. "You knew that he had an insane answer to that question! That was unfair!"

"Now, Krillin, if you and Goku were as close as you think you are, then you would have known his answer. Next question everyone! Pan, what would your friend rather do on a Friday night: go dancing at the hottest new club or watch movies with a significant other?"

Pan rolled her eyes. "That's an extremely easy question. Bra would rather go clubbing." She then realized that she was speaking to the father of Bra's boyfriend. "Uh, let me amend that."

"Too late," Yamashira said with a hard look to Bra. ' _How dare she rather spend the night dancing with ten different boys instead of spending all her time with Ben!_ ' "The answer is correct. You receive another one-hundred points."

"I don't know which was worse," Goten whispered to Trunks. "Pan answering the question that way or Bra telling the truth about it."

Trunks observed the embarrassed look on his little sister's face. "Bra telling the truth about it, definitely."

"Group number two, same question." The host attempted to inject false cheer into his words and failed miserably.

"Goten would rather watch the movies. He doesn't like to dance."

"That answer is correct. Is it because he doesn't like dancing or because he *can't* dance?" Yamashira asked.

Goten frowned. "Hey! I can dance just fine!"

"Moving on.... Group three, same question."

Goku smiled. "Krillin would stay home and watch movies with his wife. That's my final answer."

"Besides getting your game shows mixed up, you are also incorrect! Krillin would rather go clubbing."

One dark eyebrow rose. "Did you lie on the answer sheet?"

"Of course I didn't," Krillin answered. "I love getting my groove on." Heavy silence fell as everyone just stared at him. "Uh, maybe I shouldn't have said that."

The host rolled his eyes. "Again, moving on... Bra, what is your friend's favorite food?"

"Shrimp fried rice, Yamashira-san. You should see the quantity Pan buys when we get Chinese. If they sold it in buckets, she would buy ten of them."

"One-hundred more points to the girls! Group number two?"

Goten had two foods in his mind for Trunks, one he loved as a kid and one he claimed to love as an adult. ' _I'm going to go for the food as a chibi._ ' "Trunks loves spaghetti and meatballs."

"Not anymore, Goten! Do you know *anything* about me? My favorite food is squid okonomiyaki!"

"Group number three?" Yamashira asked.

Krillin smiled knowingly. "This answer is a trick one just like the first question. Goku loves all food, he doesn't have a favorite!"

"Unfortunately you're wrong," Goku sighed. "My favorite food is salmon ramen." Poor Krillin just screamed in frustration.

The host tsked. "So far you haven't answered any question correctly. At this rate, you don't have a chance at winning."

"Group one is in the lead with three-hundred points, group two has one-hundred, and group three has zero. We'll be back after this commercial break."

He went backstage to get a glass of water and left the contestants to converse amongst themselves. "We're winning!" Bra said as she stuck her tongue out at her brother. "You two have been friends longer than Pan and I have and know nothing!"

"Excuse me?! That's *Goten* who knows nothing!" Trunks let out an explosive breath. "It doesn't really matter, now. We're going to lose this contest."

Thirty seconds later Yamashira re-emerged and the cameraman began rolling again. "Welcome back to BFF! We're now into round two of questioning. Pan, what is Bra's favorite movie?"

Pan had to think about that for a minute. There was Bra's *real* favorite movie and then there was the one she told people was her favorite. Unfortunately, Pan always got the two mixed up. "Bra's favorite movie is Jerry Maguire."

"At this rate, I'm going to be showing you the money because your answer is correct!" The two girls slapped fives and cheered. "Trunks, what's Goten's favorite movie?"

Trunks was still a little angry at Goten's lack of knowledge about him. He could have lied and saved his friend's dignity, but it was the perfect time to get revenge. "Believe it or not, Shinji, his favorite movie is The Little Mermaid."

Goten immediately blushed as everyone, including many in the audience, laughed. "You could have said something else, Trunks!"

"Hai, I could have." He smirked. "Now we're even."

Yamashira finished his chuckling as the scoreboard on their podium changed to two-hundred points. "Group number three?"

"I have no idea," Goku admitted. "We never watched movies when we were kids."

"Krillin's favorite movie is 2001 -- A Space Odyssey. You still have zero points and now have no chance at all of winning. Would you like to continue playing the game?"

They both nodded. "Why not?" Krillin said. "I don't have anything else to do."

"Bra, if Pan could have one wish what would it be?"

She tapped her finger against the side of her face in thought. "Pan wants to be the strongest warrior in the world. Even stronger than Goku-san. She would wish for power and strength."

"You are correct, as always. Your score is now five-hundred points. Goten, same question."

"Trunks would wish he didn't have to work every day. He hates being president of Capsule Corp."

Two shocked looks appeared on both Yamashira and Trunks' faces. "You're actually correct!" The host gasped.

"Well, I should be. Do you know how many times he's complained to me about that?" The scoreboard changed to three-hundred points and Goten smiled.

Krillin answered before he'd even been asked. "Goku would wish for world peace." He was so sure that it was a Goku-type response that there was no hesitation in answering. He recognized the look on the host's face and sighed. "I'm wrong again, aren't I?"

"Goku, tell him what you would wish for."

"Since there is no possible way everyone could get along 100% of the time, I would wish for enough food to last the rest of my life." He grinned. "That way ChiChi wouldn't have to cook for me anymore."

"Your score still stands at zero and we've reached the final question. What would your friend do if they found a large sum of money? If you answer this question correctly, then you win the game." He smirked at the confused looks on the faces of his contestants. "Hai, that means the other five questions are completely meaningless!" The scoreboards blanked to zero.

Krillin's eyes lit up. "We actually still have a chance to win!"

"Pan, what would Bra do with a large sum of money?"

The girl groaned. "That question's impossible to answer. Bulma-san's a billionaire so Bra can already buy everything! It's not like there's something still out there that she's always wanted, you know."

"You have five seconds to answer the question."

"Uh, Bra would buy a tropical island and rename it after herself."

Bra couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Pan-chan, I would go shopping! You should know that!"

"You go shopping almost every single day!"

"A girl can't have too many clothes, you know."

Yamashira moved on. "Group number two?"

"Goten would buy a new car. You should see the piece of crap that he's driving now."

"You mean that I *was* driving," Goten corrected. "It died on me this morning."

"Trunks, your answer is wrong! Goten would buy the cable company so that he can get free service."

The lavender-haired executive blinked. "Nani?"

"Yep. I love watching Sex in the City."

Yamashira stood before the third group. "Goku, if you answer this question correctly then you and Krillin will win the game. What would Krillin do if he found a large sum of money?"

"He would turn it into the nearest police station because someone is probably looking for it."

"Guess what, Goku? You are correct! That gives you one-hundred points and you win the game!" The two of them jumped up and down with glee, hugging each other in their excitement.

"What did we win?" Goku asked. "Is it something good?"

"You and your best-friend have won 500,000 zenni apiece and a four day, three night trip for you and your families to lovely Hawaii!"

"Hey Yamashira-san!" Pan called out. "Does that include grandchildren? I wanna go too!"

"A grand total of eight people can go on this trip," he told her. "A family is usually thought to consist of four people; a mother, a father, and two children." He turned to the camera and smiled. "That's our show for today. Tune in next week for more crazy questions. I'm your host Yamashira Shinji and we're live from the Satan City Mall!"

**~OWARI~**


End file.
